Centre to amend Cooperative Act soon: Amit Shah

New Delhi: A policy to augment the growth of the cooperative sector is on the anvil, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday.

Addressing the National Cooperative Meet (Sehkarita Sammelan), he said the Centre would strengthen the sector in tandem with the state governments. Shah also said that the Multi-state Cooperative Sector Act would be amended to further improve the functioning of cooperative institutions in multiple states.

Listing out the plan of the newly formed Ministry of Cooperation, Shah said the number of Primary Agriculture Credit Societies would be increased to three lakh from the present 65,000 in five years. The government has been planning to have a farmers' cooperative society in every Indian village. Currently, the country has a society for every 10 villages.

Software in local languages would be developed to computerise the functioning of cooperative societies, besides linking them with District Cooperative Bank and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development). Skill-development training would be imparted to the employees of cooperative societies.

The Centre also has plans to expand cooperative credit societies to more sectors, Shah said, adding that the societies could play a major role in making India a Rs 5 lakh crore economy.

Pointing out the success of societies such as Amul and Indian Farmers' Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO), Shah said the cooperative movement was more relevant than ever in several sectors including food processing.

ULCC finds mention
The functioning of several cooperative societies are worth emulating, Union Minister of Home and Cooperation Amit Shah said while addressing the National Cooperative Meet on Saturday.

While naming such societies in Karnataka and Manipur, Shah also praised the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCC) and the Cooperative Hospital in Kozhikode.